Tools for shifting human context into disasters: a case-based guideline for computer-aided earthquake proofs

According to interviews with refugees of the south-Hyogo earthquake (1995, M7.2), the human processes leading to activities for protecting themselves from disaster is made of multiple steps. The paper presents a guideline for stimulating essential steps in this process by computer, which aids humans in making life earthquake-proof. Two core tools in the proposed guideline are well coordinated realistic disaster simulations and discovery tools for risks and their causes, playing each role in the overall process. Stimulating the user with these tools helps in shifting the context in the user's mind into realistic disaster situations, motivating his/her protective actions.